Intellectual property lacks needed recognition

By CAROL LI

STAFF WRITER

When money is stolen from a bank, there is always a huge debacle to find the robber. But what about the art?

In this generation, there are many creations that are being introduced to the public for the first time: art, music, technology, books, graphics and more. For example, technology has been advancing quickly, and artists have been creating objects from drones to the new iPhone 7. However, many people do not give credit or recognition to these artists, who can be visual artists, musicians, photographers, and more.

This is important to acknowledge, because many people’s mindsets are set on the easiest way to maintain things without payment. Society may not realize that giving artists acknowledgement is significant. Originality is considered a product of an individual, and it should be recognized and compensated.

When artists produce a piece, they should be compensated for their work, usually by money. However, because compensation is not emphasized much, sometimes it is not often given or received.

For example, it is very popular for people to download albums of music illegally onto their computer or phone merely to save money. Not only is compensation withheld, but it also goes against copyright laws. Because so many people are streaming music, the music industry has plummeted and is making its lowest revenues since 1973.

Copyright laws set guidelines for artists on their production of work by stating that artists can reproduce their work and perform it publicly which also helps compensate for their artwork. This is important for artists who are starting out, especially because they do not have a foundation or experience yet. Because of this, they need compensating, such as a money source, to keep the ball rolling on their career.

Another way creators are not getting compensated for their original work is through social media. Some artists like to post their art on Instagram or Facebook to get their art “out there.” A disadvantage of utilizing social media to share new creations is that online users can present it as their own without giving credit to the artist. They can do this easily by cropping the watermark or not tagging or mentioning the artist.

Even though crediting the artist seems insignificant, it helps the artist tremendously with publicity and motivates them to create more artwork.

When one violates copyright laws, the original artist loses credit to their work. Crediting has become an issue because it is easy to steal artwork over the internet. Artists create intellectual property, and because of this, it is harder for them to use their livelihood as a job with stable income, especially when people take their art and do not give the original artist credit. . This is not just for artwork either, because many times in different fields, people come up with innovative ideas but are never given credit for them.

In the end, it all comes down to respecting others. Giving recognition and compensations to artists are the (copy)RIGHT things to do.

Welcome to Vol. 50!

Paw Prints Weekly is the student-run newspaper of Glen A. Wilson High School and is one of the few high school newspapers that publishes weekly in Southern California. This year, we are expanding our horizons towards online publishing and taking new approaches in journalism.